Is your Irish Grandad or father named John, Patrick, Michael, James or Paul?
Father’s Day 2024 is just around the corner and as we celebrate our fantastic Irish Dads and Grandads this Sunday the 16th June, My Nametags, www.mynametags.ie, Ireland’s leading supplier of personalised name labels, decided to mark the occasion by examining how boys names have changed in Ireland over the last 60 years.
Top Names for Grandad
My Nametags explored the top boys name in Ireland in 1963 and 1973 and discovered that it is highly likely that Irish grandchildren have a Grandad with one of the following names:
- John
- Patrick
- Michael
- Paul
- James
These traditional names were the top 5 boys names recorded in Ireland in 1963 with similar recorded in 1973 seeing just one new entry with the name ‘David’ taking ‘James’ spot in the top 5.
Top Dad Names
When we move further on to the top names in 1983 and 1993, many of the older traditional names remain popular for boys in Ireland with the top 5 names recorded in 1983 as follows:
- John
- David
- Michael
- Stephen
- Patrick
The top names were similar to this 10 years later in 1993 with only one new additional ‘Shane’ joining the list of top 5 names.
Most Popular Names for Grandsons
My Nametags.ie also examined the top names for Grandsons in Ireland today. Since the 2000’s the most popular names in Ireland shifted to shorter, trendier names including Sean, Jack, Adam and Conor. James still proved popular coming in at number 5 on the listing this year.
When we move to the most recent year, 2023, we are seeing Irish names increase in popularity with the top 5 names recorded as:
- Jack
- Noah
- James
- Rían
- Óisin (closely followed by Fionn)
Commenting on the findings, Lars B. Andersen, Founder and Managing Director of My Nametags.ie, commented, “The team at My Nametags.ie have seen every possible boys name imaginable over the last 20 years in business. It is interesting from the findings to see that some boys names, such as James, have remained popular throughout the years with many children inheriting their first name from a grandfather. In recent times we have also noticed a lot of Gaelic boys names, such as Sean, Rían and Óisin, cropping up in our orders so it is no surprise to see these feature strongly in the last few years. We would like to wish all Grandfathers and Fathers, whatever their name, a very Happy Father’s Day!”
Visit the My Nametags website, www.mynametags.ie, to find out more about My Nametags personalised name labels as well as some of the other personalised products available.